Boy's death unrelated to vaccine: U.S. report

Prosecutors were quoted as saying that the Institute of Forensic Medicine (IFM) under the Ministry of Justice had sent a patient sample to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, where the cause of death was confirmed as hemophagocytic syndrome (HS) associated with the B-19 parvovirus.

The parvovirus, according to the CDC report, was found on the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, brain, lungs and kidneys of the victim, prosecutors noted.

The findings did not discover any vaccine-related lethal conditions such as acute anaphylactic shock or infection, prosecutors said.

The IFM had previously ruled that the victim, surnamed Liu, had suffered from HS-induced symptoms - enlarged liver and spleen as well as fatty degeneration of the liver - that led to multiple organ failure and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).

The boy eventually died from a brainstem hemorrhage, said the IFM.

Liu's father, through a statement released by Taichung City Councilor Chang Yao-chung, was skeptical of the results publicized by the IFM.

He said he does not understand why the IFM would submit patient samples for testing in the United States without first attaining consent from the family.

The family had previously asked authorities for permission to do the same but was declined, the father said.

He added that the IFM should release official U.S. CDC reports so as not to invite worries and doubts from the pubic.

The institute should also provide a patient sample to the family as promised, for testing conducted by a third party, Liu said.

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